Around 800 pastors, students and evangelicals gathered at Union University on Sunday afternoon to participate in the third annual West Tennessee Evangelism Rally sponsored by the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Many people from all over the state of Tennessee attended to worship and learn more about how to effectively evangelize their own communities.
“The goal for the rally is to provide an opportunity for churches across West Tennessee to come, to be better equipped and to be encouraged to share Jesus,” said Ernest Easley, director of the R. G. Lee Center for Christian Ministry and professor of evangelism at Union University.
Participants of the event attended a time of worship both before and after the breakout sessions and had the opportunity to attend several different classes to learn more about evangelism in various contexts. Some of the topics included learning about how to share the faith with Muslims and how to create a “DNA” of evangelism in your own church. For the first time this year, the rally even had a specific tract tailored for students and women.
“I learned some new things and was mainly encouraged through the breakout sessions and the service,” said Blake Fondren, middle school pastor at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn.
“The breakout sessions are for the equipping, and the worship set is for the encouragement,” Easley said.
The rally concluded in the George M. Savage Memorial Chapel with worship led by Travis Cottrell, worship leader at Englewood Baptist Church, and a closing message by James Merritt, pastor of Crosspointe Church in Duluth, Ga. The participants left feeling revived and refreshed.
“It has me pumped up and excited to continue to share the Gospel,” said Fondren.
It is safe to say that many others felt the same way as they left campus Sunday night, and they are looking forward to taking what they learned back to continue the great commission in their own communities.
